Dismountable gun mounting



Nov. 19, 1935. F, HERLACH ETAL I 2,021,551

DISMOUNTABLE GUN MOUNTING v Filed Nov. 27, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 19, 1935. F, HERLACH ErAL 2,021,551

DISMOUNTABLE GUN MOUNTING Filed Nov. 27, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 'nl' emllllu HL", annum #r1-mania( Patented Nov. 19, 1935 irEo s'rATEs PATENT ori-ICE DISMOUN TABLE GUN MOUNTING ration of Switzerland Application November 27, 1933, Serial No. 699,999 In Germany March 3, 1933 ItV Claims.

In gun mountings which are adapted to be dismantled into separate loads in order to facilitate transport, it is essential that it should be possible for the dismantling and the assembling of the gun mounting for firing to be carried out rapidly and in a simple manner Without the employment of special auxiliary devices in such a. manner that as far as is practicable no damage can be done toy the gun or to the equipment, and that the gun crew is not exposed to danger.

The units of such a mounting must be so interconnected as to prevent involuntary detachment, and it is advantageous by means of interlocks between the different safety devices to ensure that the units can be dismantled andassembled only in a definite, obvious sequence; and

parts which are very liable to be 10st, such as' coupling pins, screws and nuts, should be dispensed with as far as is practicable.

The invention relates particularly to carriages comprising a cradle carrying the gun and trunnioned in, a training saddle so as to be capable of elevation Within a predetermined range. According to the invention the trunnion bearings which are made separate for the dismantling and assembling of the cradle, are prevented from opening by locking members which in their turn cannot be disengaged until the completion of a swinging movement of the cradle out of its locked position, beyond'thenormal range of elevation for the gun and which movement breaks the elevating gear connection.

Furth-er the cradle can be removedfrom or tted on the saddle only when it is in a position in which the elevating gear connection from one part to the other is broken and also when any spring elevation compensators provided have become ineffective.

The cradle cannot be'removed Within the normal range oi elevation provided ior ring the gun. In the construction according to the in'- vention an unintentional excess of this permitted elevation, is prevented by an elevation limiting stop rendered operative by the mounted gun. Then the cradle cannot be moved into the dismantling position and dismantled until the gun has been removed therefrom.

Further appropriate .details of the invention are explained by means of the accompanying drawings which show an example of construction of a .gun mounting.

1n the drawingst- Y Fig. 1 is a general View of the gun mounting in Vthe gun mounting has been assembled for iiring,

elevation; c Y

Fig. 2 is the same View on an enlarged scale, in

partial section through the trunnions and their connecting members;

Fig. 3 shows a plan of the gun mounting;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation along the line C-D or" Fig. 2; 5

Flg is a representation according to Fig. 2 with the cradle swung into the dismantling po'- sition. l

A saddle i capable oi beingV trained through 360 has trunnioned therein a cradle 2 for carlo rying the gun, by means of trunnion pins 3 integral with the cradle 2,. Elevatin'g gear 4,' 5 capable of elevating the Abarrel through a normal range of about is provided between the cradle and the saddle. The trunnion pins 3 of 15 the cradle 2 are mounted in, lower half bearings t on the saddle i and are secured against rising by covers l. The covers l have, when seen from the side, a spectacle-like shape with a bridge member which engages over the trunnion pin 3, d and the eyes S, 9 or 8', 9 (Fig. 3) engaging forkwise around bearing bosses it, H on the saddle l located one on, each side of the trunnion (Figs. 2 and 3). The three parts V8; 9,10, together with a bolt i2 form a hinge `joint about which the cover 'l with its eyes 8', 9 is adapted to be pivoted. In the latter pair of eyes there is mounted a bolt i3 which is cut away in semicircular cross-section and is adapted to be V turned by means of aside handle I4. c 39 The bearing il (Fig. 2) has a three-quarte circle bearing surface and through the cut-away Vquadrant Il' is inserted the bolt i3 movable by means of the handle lll into the position shown in Fig. 5, and which by rotation through about 35 serves as a bolt to prevent the' cover from f rising. In order that this bolted position may be secured, the handle it is adapted tobe fixed by a spring catch l5 (Figs. 3 and 2V). y

Further, the opening and closing ofthe cover 'l are Vprevented by a bolting device Which requires elevation of the cradle 2 beyond the normal range of elevation `of Vthe gun, in orderto' permit the swinging movement of the handle I4 to release the bolt I3. This bolting device consists of a collarf 3 extending over thegreater part of the periphery of the trunnion pin, which collar does not permit the handle ,le to be unbolted until the recess 3V of the collar 3f isdisposed opposite' the end Vifiof. the handle facing 50 Ythe collar 3 (Fig. 5,). The elevation of the cradle 2 necessary kfor this is normallyrhindered v by an lelevation stop; as shown in Fig; 4, when Bythe insertion of the gun it` (the outline 55 of which has been indicated in Fig. 4 by chain lines) in the cradle 2 in which it is secured by a removable clamping hook il, a double-armed lever I8 pivotally mounted about a bolt I8 in the cradle 2 is swung out sideways to such an extent that when the barrel is elevated about 85 it comesinto contact with a stop E' on the saddle and prevents the further elevation of the barrel.

If the cradle 2 is to be dismounted, rst ofall the gun 6 must be removed and the cradle 2 must beY swung upwards into a position beyond. the elevating range, in which the recess 3 of the trunnion collar 3 is disposed opposite the lever projection l and the handle I4 can be turned to release the bolt E3 and open the cover 1.

In this dismounting position of the cradle 2 shown in Fig. 5, the elevating toothed segment 4' xed thereto is disengaged from the' pinion 5 (see Fig, 1) so that it is impossible for the gear teeth to be damaged during dismantling or assembling.

Further, the compensating springs accommodated in the dash-pots le and engaging on the one hand with these and on the other hand with the trunnion ends enclosed thereby, are now relaXed so that the projections i9 of the dashpot resting on the in I in the cradle l are not loaded by the compensating springs and automatically give an unhindered slight turning of the dash pots i9, such as is necessary for disengaging -the projections is from the pins i" which they partially surround, when the cradle is lifted out of the trunnion bearings.

We claim:- Y

1. A dismountable gun carriage for mounting a gun comprising a cradle in which the gun is mounted, a saddle, trunnions about Ywhich the cradle and gun can be elevated in the saddle,

.said trunnions including trunnion pins and separable upper and lower bearing members surrounding said pins, a gear for elevating the gun k and cradle through a predetermined angular range, Ylocking means normally securing the upper and lower trunnion bearing members together, and means operable only when-the gun cradle is elevated beyond the normal range for eiecting a release action of said locking means preventing an unlocking operation of the lock except when the gun cradle is elevated beyond the normal range. Y Y

3. A dismountable gun carriage for mounting a gun comprising a cradle in which the gun'is removably mounted, a'saddle, trunnions about 5 which the cradle and gun can be elevated in the saddle,v said trunnions including trunnion pins and separable upper and lower bearing members surrounding said pins, a gear for elevatingthe gun and cradle through a. predetermined an- 10 gular rangeQa .stop determining the maximum angleA of elevation, means rendering said stop inoperativeupon removal of the gun from the cradle, locking means for normally securing the upper and lower trunnion bearing members to- 15 gether, and means operable only when the gun cradle is elevated beyond the normal range for effecting a release action of said locking means whereby the bearing members'can be separated to enable the cradle to be removed from the 20 saddle.

4. A dismountable Ygun carriage for mounting a gun comprising a cradle in which the gun is removably mounted, a training saddle,V trunnions about which the cradle and gun can be elevated, 25 said Ytrunnions including trunnion pins and separable upper and lower bearing members surrounding said pins, Va gear for elevating the gun VAand cradle through a predetermined angular 'range, a stop determining the Vmaximum angle 30 of elevation, means Vrendering said stop inoperativeupon removal ofthe gun from the cradle, locking means operable to secure together said upper and lower trunnion bearings, means forA operating the lock, and means on the trunnion 35 pins for preventing an unlocking operation of the'lockexcept when the cradle after removal of the gun therefrom is elevated beyond the then inoperative stop,

5. A gun carriage according to claim 2; in 40 Vwhich the locking meansV comprise eye members on the upper and lower trunnion bearing mem- '."bers, bolts having flattened portions extending through said eye members to secure the upper bearing members tothe lower bearing members, 45 means, for rotating said bolts to bring their atl tened'portions into register with openings in certain of theV eye members whereby the upper Vand 'lower bearings can be separated to release the trunnionV pins from the bearings,V and collars on the trunnion pins for preventing such rotation vof the bolts when the angular movement of the ".trunnion pins corresponds to cradle elevation :within the normal range.

6. A. gun carriage according to claim 3, in which the elevation stop comprises a lever pivoted in the cradle and cooperating with the gun,

a projection on the saddle lying in the path of said lever to determine the range of elevation Y o f the cradle in said saddle, and aspring cooperating with the lever to retract the same from said V path when the gun is removed from the cradle.

FRITZ HERLACH. HEINRICH HERLACH.l 

